Blankets
by MissDMalfoy
Summary: Hermione is having a rough time coping with her depression after the Battle of Hogwarts. On top of that, she finds out she has to produce a child with Draco Malfoy after she graduates from Hogwarts. They are required to take a parenting class in which they will learn how to be parents, which is hard when you've got an ex-Death Eater and a depressed war hero on your hands. Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

Hermione woke from her bed on a hot summer's day. Her neck hurt, and it had been a restless night yet again. She had forgotten to take her Dreamless Sleep potion last night. Her dreams were horrid memories of what happened just a few months before. Hermione felt a wave of nausea and she ran to the toilet, heaving up everything she had ate the night before. She splashed some cool water on her face then brushed her teeth. She really should have taken the potion.

The memories of the final battle were sickening. Some mornings, when she forgot to take her potion the night before, Hermione would wake up and puke everything in her stomach because the dreams were just too terrible. There were days were she would sit in her room and mourn for her lost friends. She was emotionally and physically drained. It would be a long time before she even learned to laugh without feeling guilty.

Needless to say, Hermione Granger was depressed. The glimmer of hope in her life was Harry. He was the brother she always wanted; when she cried, they cried together. Harry also suffered from horrid nightmares and they found comfort in each other. Most mornings they would wake up and the other was curled up right beside them. It was easy to find comfort with each other. During the months when they were hiding and when Ron was not with them, they would cuddle next to each other. They both longed for more human interaction but this was all they could offer.

Hermione walked to her bed and poked the sleeping figure next to her. "Harry," she whispered. "Get up. It's time to start the day!" Harry blinked a few times in confusion, and felt around for his glasses. Hermione sat down next to him. "How was your sleep?" she asked.

Harry finally sat up. "I didn't have any dreams. And why did you get me up at the ass crack of dawn? I'm going back to sleep." And his glasses were off and he was sprawled under the sheets again.

Hermione sighed and went down the stairs of the Burrow. It was seven in the morning. Usually it was only her and Mrs. Weasley up at this time. Hermione walked as quietly as possible because she didn't want to wake anyone up. Mrs. Weasley was sitting at the table by herself, twirling the spoon in her cup of tea. Hermione liked to get up early. When Mrs. Weasley wasn't busy, she would start to get sad. A lot of mornings Hermione went downstairs to find her crying holding something of Fred's. Hermione, although she was working past a lot of obstacles is her life, pushed aside her sadness and had breakfast with Mrs. Weasley every morning.

Of course, Hermione wasn't getting much sleep anyways. It was a rare thing for her. Most of the time, she would listen to Harry's breathing and that would sometimes lull her into a sort of half-sleep, but usually she was up. The dreams terrified her. They were so vivid and they felt so real that she couldn't even bear to sleep. She took potions some nights, but she didn't like them because she felt as though her judgment became clouded and she was knocked out of conciseness for eight hours. At Hogwarts, Hermione was a heavier sleeper. She had to be. Before she learned to charm her bed so she couldn't hear Lavender and Parvati, she had to learn to sleep though their incessant giggling. However, when she was on the run with Harry and Ron, she had to learn to keep her ears on duty all the time, even if she wasn't staying up to stay on guard.

Her eyebrows were furrowed, and she looked up when she heard Hermione. "Good morning dear!" She said. "I just made some tea if you would like some." She started pouring the tea right away.

Hermione smiled. "Thank you Mrs. Weasley. How was your sleep last night?" she asked. Hermione knew that Mrs. Weasley didn't get much sleep either. Nobody in the house really did. They all tried to hide it from each other, and brush off everything like they were doing well. Considering that they are all very stubborn, it makes a lot of sense.

"It wasn't bad, dear. Wasn't bad. I could have slept longer but you know me, always hustling!" she said, and flashed Hermione and sad smile. "Everybody is going to wake soon, if you want to help me make breakfast?"

Hermione drank her tea as she scrambled two dozen eggs. They had to get started on breakfast early; they had eight mouths to feed. George moved back into the Burrow after the final battle. In fact, after the final battle the whole family had been there, including Percy, Bill, Charlie, and Fleur. A month later Percy moved out. He had said that he needed some time to think things out, so he went to Paris. He blamed himself for Fred's death. He really did. And everybody had tried to explain to him that it wasn't his fault, but nonetheless he did. And Percy always blamed himself, even when it was thirty years later he would still cry.

But with all the men residing in the Burrow she had to make a lot of eggs. Harry and Ron were attempting to get muscular. It was rather amusing to watch, because they would spend all day outside playing Quidditch and then come back inside to eat meat and claim that they would have abs by that time next week. Honestly, Hermione thought that they would never get the muscles that they were hoping for. They had spent far too much time in the woods together with no food. Their bodies just couldn't handle certain foods. They were by no means skinny, Mrs. Weasley had made sure that they gained weight after the Final Battle, but they would never be stocky like Charlie. Charlie liked to tease them on their lankiness, and it usually led into a wrestling match that Harry and Ron would always win because they made a great pair.

George liked to watch and observe. He was a lot quieter now. He didn't laugh at jokes anymore, or smile, or sing or dance or laugh. His soul was dead but his body was living. It was heartbreaking to watch. In time, he could recover but the pain was just too raw, and it would be for a very long time.

Hermione finally finished scrambling all the eggs ten minutes later. By this time Ginny had emerged from her cave, looking sleepy with her hair in every direction. She knew that Hermione and Harry found solace in each other. She knew they were each other's security blankets and that didn't bother her. She was just happy they both made it out alive. Ginny started setting the table and pouring orange juice for everybody when George and Mr. Weasley came down the stairs.

Ten minutes later and everybody was eating breakfast, and for the first time in a while everybody seemed in a pretty good mood. It was slightly chaotic (how could it not be?) and Hermione wouldn't have it any other way. These people were her family now.

She was an orphan. She had lost her parents far too soon. After the Final Battle, she and Ron had ventured out into Australia to find her parents. They found the house ransacked, and her parents lying on the floor, mutilated to almost the point of being unrecognizable. Hermione never liked to talk about it. There were days when she just cried in Ron's arms. Sometimes, when Ron wasn't around she would cry in Harry's. She hadn't even told Ginny about what happened on that horrid night.

But Hermione didn't want to get herself down. Everybody seemed in a pretty good mood, which made her mood brighten up. She was washing the dishes with Ginny when an owl came to the window. She wiped her hands on the towel, and grabbed a piece of food for the owl. She grabbed the letters, and stroked her hands over the owl's soft feathers. "You're from Hogwarts, aren't you?" she asked. The owl gave her a soft coo in answer and then flew off. "Harry and Ron!" she yelled, "We have gotten letters from Hogwarts!"

And a few seconds later they were running into the Burrow. "We didn't even have a chance to get our brooms, Hermione!" exclaimed Harry. He grabbed his letter from Hermione's hands and gave Ron his letter.

Harry's face went from bright to terrified. He sat down at the kitchen table, hands shaking. He rested head on the table breathing heavily. "Oh my god. I feel like I'm going to be sick." And then he was. He ran to bathroom.

Hermione hadn't opened the letters yet. She didn't know what they were for, because her Hogwarts letters usually came during the first week of August, not the third week of July. She wondered what could be in that letter that was so awful. She carefully opened the enveloped that was sealed with the Hogwarts stamp.

_To Miss Hermione Granger –_

_You have been invited to an eighth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The renovations to the school have been completed, and school will start on September 1__st__ as usual. Attached to this letter is your list of supplies for the next school year. There have been major changes to the curriculum due to the war last year. _

_The Ministry has imposed a new law which we have been able to withhold from the Hogwarts students until they graduate. Due to the casualties from the war, all witches and wizards will be assigned a partner to whom they must marry and have children with. The students of Hogwarts will not take part in this law until they have graduated from Hogwarts, and then they have one year to reproduce. _

_However, the sixth, seventh, and eighth year students will be required to take a parenting class in which they will be partnered up with a person compatible to them (they may or may not be your future spouse, as some people have been matched with witches or wizards who have already graduated from Hogwarts) and together they will learn how to raise a child while being a young, working parent. _

_Your future spouses will be assigned to you the first week of August. You will be told whether this person will be your actual spouse, or if the person is your spouse for the project._

_I look forward to seeing you in September. _

_Headmistress McGonagall _

Hermione understood Harry now. Everybody's face looked solemn. Nobody could say anything. They just sat there, in silence, together. Harry was the first to get up. He left the Burrow and was walking through the fields when Hermione caught up to him. "We'll be okay, Harry. We've handled a lot worse things." She said. She put her hand on his shoulder and he jerked away.

He turned to her. "Hermione do you think I want this? I don't want to be a young parent! I was planning on getting married to Ginny! I figured we would graduate from Hogwarts and start out life together, and when we felt like it we would have children! This time next year I might have a kid on the way and it might not even be with Ginny! I don't know what to do!" And he broke down crying. He sat on the ground, and him and Hermione cried together.

There was a time when it was only Harry and she on the run and she thought that she might be in love with Harry. They found comfort in each other. They tried to make the best of what they had. They felt comfortable around each other. Hermione figured this love out to be something of sibling love. They loved each other like siblings. Harry was an only child, and so was Hermione, but together they were siblings. They fought and they bickered, but at the end of the day they loved each other. She fell asleep most nights thinking of how lucky she was to have a brother, but also terrified, because what would happen if she lost him?

About an hour later they made their way back to the Burrow. Hermione sat down to read a book. Harry went outside to play some Quidditch with Ron. They never stopped playing that game. From dawn till dusk they played. Hermione liked to watch them sometimes. It was the only time she actually saw them laugh together, and she was glad that they found their way of dealing with everything. They were handling things a little better than her. They laughed more. They smiled more. And Harry and Ron tried to get her to, but she couldn't help but feel that she could have helped those people that died. She blamed herself a lot.

Ginny came over to talk to Hermione a little while before dinner. She sat down on the couch next to Hermione. She looked a little guilty. "I hope you don't hate me, Hermione. I know you always wanted this position but I got Head Girl. I feel really bad! I know you really want it – "

"Stop rambling Ginny! I'm happy for you!" and Hermione smiled. "You totally deserve it! I don't think I could handle the position anyways. You're in much better shape than I am!" She hugged Ginny. She was truly happy for the girl. The responsibility would take the sadder things off Ginny's mind. And she would also have a kid to take care of, but Hermione wasn't going to mention that now.

"Thank you so much, Hermione! Maybe tonight we could have a girl's night? We could paint our nails, and gossip about boys? We haven't had one since a while ago." And a while ago meant the night before Bill and Fleur's wedding. That was over a year ago. Hermione could really do for a girl's night.

"Of course, Ginny! It sounds like a blast. I was meaning to go to Diagon Alley to get some books, but maybe we could go there tomorrow and get our hair done and treat ourselves to something nice." Hermione said. The more she thought about it, the better she was feeling. She hadn't treated herself to anything in over a year.

* * *

Diagon Alley was pretty much all fixed. Stores were beginning to open and people were starting to go there again. It was full of life and laughter and Hermione hadn't seen anything like this since first year. The shops were stilled crooked and the streets were still cobblestone, but they shone with cleanliness and Hermione thought everything was perfect. Because it was perfect. She would not have anything any other way.

Little kids were running down the street, and parents were yelling out their names, trying to find them in the crowd of people. She had never seen so many wizards here before! How could there be a population problem if all these wizards were here?

"Let's go to Madame Primernelle's!" Hermione pointed out the store. There was a salon behind all the beautifying potions and makeup. Hermione really needed a haircut. She had let her hair grow out while on the run, and she usually put it up. Even now she did. Her hair reached her waist, which was far too long. It grew out like a triangle because of its bushy nature.

As soon as she walked in a man dressed in flamboyant robes walked over to her. "Oh honey, the things I would do to get my hands on your hair. Why goodness gracious, are you Hermione Granger? Dear can I please do your hair? Quite frankly, a goddess like you cannot be walking around with hair like that." He was already pushing her to the salon chair.

"Um, thank you!" Hermione said. "I was actually looking to get a haircut. It hasn't been cut in a while. My friend Ginny wanted to get her haircut too. I know it's very short notice and everything but –"

"Sweetcheeks you are always welcome here! My name is Fabian. Whatever you want, you're going to get! It's not every day we have such a famous witch like you come into our salon. And with Ginny Weasley, who is dating Mr. Harry Potter himself! Witch Weekly is going to love this!" He said. He left and came back a few minutes later with some sort of potion in his hands. "When it comes to coloring hair, I like to do it the muggle way. You know exactly what you're putting in your hair. I like to coat it with a long lasting charm, so it stays longer. You get your money's worth."

"I didn't want to get my hair colored!" Hermione explained, but it was too late. The color was already going into her hair. She hoped he did a nice job. Ginny looked excited. She was in the seat next to her, and her hair was being colored too.

"I'm so excited Hermione! I've never done this before!" She was literally bouncing in her seat. "Mum never lets me get my hair colored, but I'm sure after she sees my new look she will love it! This orange color is so boring sometimes! It's aggravating because everybody knows when they see my orange hair that I am a Weasley! I always wanted it to be a darker red. I just hate orange!"

Hermione laughed a little. She could understand why Ginny wanted to be different. Ginny was more a free spirit. Hermione thought that Ginny wanted to make a name for herself other than being a Weasley. She could understand how Ginny felt. Being the "Brightest Witch of Her Age" wasn't exactly fun either. She had a name to live up to. For once, Hermione just wanted to be just plain old Hermione Granger, Hogwarts Student. Not Hermione Granger of the Golden Trio. Not smart Hermione. Just Hermione.

She could feel Fabian cutting her hair. He was taking so much of it off! Hermione was excited though. Her hair didn't feel like it was weighing down her head. It felt soft and wavy, just how she had always wanted it to be as a child. He had turned the chair around so Hermione couldn't see what he was doing, but she could feel it.

"Honey, if you don't like this new 'do' we can always change it. Thankfully we have magic that can change it up. I think it looks gorgeous on you though." Fabian said, and her spun the chair around.

_Oh my god. _Hermione looked beautiful. Her hair was smooth. It was curly, but not_ bushy. _ It was _blonde. _She never thought she could do a color other than plain old brown. This was beautiful. She had always thought she looked plain with her brown eyes and brown hair, but now she was exquisite. Her skin looked flawless and tan and it brought out the golden flecks in her brown eyes. She felt tears welling up in her eyes. "Oh my goodness, Fabian, you did such an amazing job. I never thought I could look like this."

"You were always beautiful, Miss Granger! I just wanted to show the world what I saw in you. Not every girl is smart and beautiful, and on top of that you're a nice person. You're truly one of a kind." Fabian said. She gave him a huge hug and squeezed him so tight that he could barely breathe.

Ginny came over at that moment. "Bloody hell, Hermione! You look bloody gorgeous!" she squealed.

Ginny looked gorgeous herself. Her hair was dark auburn, and made her fair skin look like a porcelain dolls. Her eyes looked even brighter, and for the first time both Hermione and Ginny looked genuinely happy.

Hermione felt different. She felt as though she was being born again. Maybe all she needed was a little makeover to make her feel even a little happy again. She was going to be a new Hermione. And most importantly, she made a promise to herself that she was going to make a good mum.

**Authors Note: I'm back everybody! I tried to end the chapter on a good note. Next chapter we have the letters, and the train back to Hogwarts! I look forward to seeing your responses to this! Thanks for the support from some very dedicated people who still read my work!**

**MissDMalfoy**


	2. Chapter 2

The weeks passed by pretty slow. The wait was unbearable. The Weasley family (including Harry and Hermione) didn't know what to do with all the time that they had. Hermione read a lot of books. She read every book that the Weasley's had, including all of Ron's Quidditch ones. She watched them play Quidditch. She helped Mrs. Weasley cook.

A week after everybody got their Hogwarts letters, Hermione was chopping onions while Mrs. Weasley was making pasta. It reminded Hermione of spending time with her mom. She didn't cry anymore; there were no tears left to be shed. She had decided that she needed to be happy again. Hermione needed to be healthy again. The life she was living was not healthy.

"Mrs. Weasley, what should I do with these onions?" Hermione asked. Where to put the onions? She had no idea.

"Just put them over there, darling." Mrs. Weasley said, motioning to the counter behind them. "And to you, my name is mum."

Was Hermione hearing things right? She stopped everything. She almost dropped the food.

"Dearie, nobody should have to live without their parents. You know Harry calls me mum. I know I'm not your mother, but to me you're my daughter. I have nine kids now. Not just seven."

Hermione wanted to cry. She had always viewed Mrs. Weasley as her mum. In a lot of ways, she was her mum. And she was. And Hermione did start crying. She hugged Mrs. Weasley so tight. "You have no idea how much this means to me, mum. Thank you." She breathed through her sobs.

"Of course, darling."

That was a really good day for Hermione.

* * *

A few days later Harry wanted to see Andromeda; more importantly, his godson, Teddy. He and Andromeda talked and they decided that Wednesday morning would be a good time to meet.

Hermione could see that Harry was nervous because he was trying to fix his hair, which he never did. His shirt was tucked into his jeans and he was wearing a pair of black converse.

"Are you nervous, Harry?" Hermione asked. She charmed his flat. "Don't worry; Teddy is only a few months old."

"What happens if I drop him?" he asked. "I could screw him up in so many ways." He started pacing back and forth. His black hair was already starting to poof up again, and his eyebrows were furrowed. "Andromeda says she has guests from the war staying with her. They're probably going to think I'm a freak because I don't know how to hold a baby. Do you know how to hold a baby, Hermione?"

"Harry! Shut up. You'll be fine! You're a great person and it's really easy. Just support his head, but he's a little older now! Don't worry. You're freaking out." Hermione grabbed his arm. "Let's go. Who even cares about the visitors! You're going to visit your godson."

They traveled by apparition, as they had been to the house after Remus and Tonks' funeral. Harry saw Teddy, but he didn't want to hold him. He probably would have dropped Teddy back then, as he was too grief stricken to even do anything right.

Andromeda was taking care of Teddy. Although Harry was his legal guardian, Andromeda couldn't have asked him to take Teddy in. That wasn't even a question. Harry was still trying to get back up on his feet, and he was still a teenager. Harry would probably be more of an uncle-type figure in Teddy's life.

Together, Harry and Hermione stood at a Tudor house. It was cute and neat and everything Hermione imagined it would look like. They walked up the driveway and knocked on the door. A flash of wild caramel hair and kind eyes appeared at the door.

"Harry! Hermione! Come on in! How are you guys doing today? Do you want some tea?" Andromeda was ushering them into the house. It was nicely decorated, and Hermione could see both the magical and muggle influence on the house.

"Your house is beautiful, Mrs. Tonks! And I'm actually doing well today, how are you?" Hermione asked.

"Thank you! I'm feeling lovely, dear." She turned to Harry. "And how are you, Harry? Would you like to see Teddy? Just get right to it?" Andromeda could obviously see the fear on Harry's face. "Don't worry, Harry. Why are you so scared to hold a baby? Teddy will love you."

A figured appeared holding a baby in the hallway. Hermione couldn't make out her facial features – _Holy mother of – _She knew this person. If the platinum hair wasn't enough of a giveaway, it had to be the steel blue eyes of this woman.

This was Narcissa Malfoy. Memories came flooding back to her. Memories that she tried so hard to push out. Memories of being tortured in the Malfoy Manor. Memories of Bellatrix carving letters into her skin.

Hermione couldn't breathe. She couldn't move. She couldn't do anything. And that was all she saw before everything went black.

* * *

Where was she? Everything was blurry. Hermione's eyes focused on a mop of curly hair, and suddenly she remembered. She sat up straight, panting. "Oh my god," she gulped. "Did I pass out?"

"Yeah, Hermione, you did." He said. He handed her a glass of water and sat down next her. "Andromeda really wants to speak to you. _She _wants to talk to you too, but I won't let her. I mean, how could Andromeda leave something like this out? I can't believe it. She tricked us –"

"Shut up, Harry! I want to talk to her. Both Andromeda and Narcissa." Hermione said. She had to. She knew that she had to. Narcissa obviously went to Andromeda because she had nowhere else to go. Her pureblood friends probably shunned her for something. _Dear goodness._ She probably left Lucius. Probably. Hermione wasn't going to make any assumptions, but she was probably right. That was the only logical answer. "How long was I out?"

"About fifteen minutes." Harry replied.

"I'm going to talk to them." Hermione said. She stood up.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Harry asked.

"No, but thank you, Harry." Hermione had to talk to them. She left the room and followed voices, which led to the kitchen.

"Narcissa, you _knew_ they were coming over. I told you to come down after they left!" Andromeda hissed.

"Andy, I didn't know they were coming at eight in the morning! I figured I could grab some breakfast and then go back upstairs!" Narcissa cried.

"You probably ruined everything between her and me! You knew that I wanted to get to know her! She's going to be a big influence on Teddy's life, and I told you how Remus and Dora adored her. I had to meet this girl for myself!" she argued.

Well, this was going to be awkward. Hermione walked into the kitchen. This was really awkward. Hermione gave a little wave to the two women. "Um, I just wanted you guys to know that I'm alive. Harry and I could get going, this has been a very interesting morning and –"

"Oh don't leave, dear! I made some tea." Andromeda grabbed Hermione by the shoulders and sat her down at the kitchen table. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I think I didn't drink enough water this morning." Hermione brushed off everything.

Narcissa stood up. Now, she looked awkward. "I'm just going to be going."

Hermione stared at her. Did she talk to her? Or did she not? The brave thing to do would be to talk to her. But she didn't want to. But she had to. "No. I want to talk to you." She said firmly.

"I don't think that would be a good idea." Narcissa stated plainly.

"No, Narcissa. It is a good idea. I need answers." Hermione got up now. "Why didn't you intervene while I was being tortured by your sister? Why didn't you stop it? Why didn't you help me? Your sister was carving letters into my skin, and you didn't even do anything." Hermione was screaming now. The baby. She couldn't wake him. She whimpered a little and sat back down in the chair.

"Hermione, you don't understand." Narcissa pleaded.

"I _do_ understand, Narcissa. I do understand what it's like to be in a place where every move you make could be you last. I understand what it's like to be in fear everywhere you go, all the time. I understand. You don't understand."

"I was under the Imperius curse for fifteen years! Do you know what that is like?" Narcissa yelled. "Do you know what it's like to have your own husband abuse you every day of your life? Do you know what it's like to have him abuse your own son, and then, when you try to leave in the night, he beats you to near death? I don't think so."

"This isn't a pity party, Narcissa." Hermione spat. Hermione was sobbing now.

"You guys are worse than a bunch of preschoolers. You're acting so immature!" Andromeda said sternly. "I know you guys are dealing with a lot of things right now, but there is a baby in the house and I don't want to wake him!"

"I'm sorry, Andromeda, but I am not going to apologize for what I said." Hermione said stubbornly. She turned to Narcissa. "I'm sorry for what happened to you, and someday I might forgive you but today is _certainly_ not the day. Thank you for having me, Andromeda. I hope that we can see each other again someday for I have still not yet seen Teddy."

Hermione wanted to die of embarrassment. She couldn't believe she just had a temper tantrum. She left the house. Harry was sitting on the front steps.

"How are you?"

And Hermione started sobbing in Harry's arms. "I can't believe I just did that!" She hiccupped. "I don't even know what possessed me to do that."

"Hermione, you have PTSD. It's not your fault. You're eighteen years old and you went through more traumatic experiences than people can imagine. It's okay to have breakdowns." Harry soothed. He rubbed her back gently, letting her stain his shirt with her tears.

"I feel as though I'm always breaking down! I just want to be normal again, Harry. I just want to be normal."

"Come on, why don't we go home? I'll make some tea?" Harry stood up and offered his hand out to Hermione.

"Your tea sucks, Harry. But it sounds perfect." Hermione grabbed his hand and they went home.

* * *

"You know, Draco is living with Andromeda and Narcissa." Harry said as he put some sugar into his tea.

"What?" Hermione nearly spat out her tea. "But I didn't see or hear him! How could he be living with them? And since when is he Draco?"

"When you were arguing with Narcissa he came outside to get the paper." Harry said. He took a sip of his tea and raised an eyebrow at Hermione. "What?"

"How did that go?" Hermione asked curiously. She really wondered how that went. Harry wasn't exactly the most patient or forgiving man in the planet, and she wondered exactly what happened because Harry was calling him Draco.

"He was really quiet." Harry started. "He just looked, tired. He came out to get the paper and then he saw me a second later. Then he said, "I'm sorry, Potter." After that he tried to go back inside, but I stopped him. I asked him what for. He said everything. And then he went back inside. It was the strangest experience of my life."

"Narcissa was under the Imperius for fifteen years." Hermione said. Could Malfoy have been under the curse too? That was a possibility.

Harry was thinking. Hermione could see the gears turning in his brain. "Does that mean…?"

"Maybe. I don't know. We can't assume things. That would be really bad." Hermione said. "But logically, it makes a lot of sense. I don't understand how no one could see it! If Malfoy had been under the curse for years then I would guess that everybody assumed that was just how Draco acted. That's awful though. His whole life was basically stolen. But we can't assume. Why don't we just start our summer homework?"

"Really, Hermione? Let's just hang out." Harry said.

And so they did.

* * *

**A/N: I know I said some things would be in this chapter, but the chapter would just be way too long if I put the letters in. That will be the next chapter, which will be up tomorrow! It's almost done, but I really wanted to put something up for you guys tonight so there you are!**


	3. Chapter 3

It was a rainy day when the second letters came. Ron and Harry were aggravating Ginny and Hermione because they had nothing to do. Hermione told them there were lots to do, but they whined about how it was all 'girly' stuff that they could do. But whatever, Hermione didn't really care what was going on with them. She wanted to read this new book that came out about the effects of the Cruciatus curse.

She was in the middle of the first chapter when Harry yelled for everybody to come downstairs. Hermione suddenly went pale. She knew what these were. She had been expecting this for weeks now. Suddenly her body was shaking and there was a lump in her throat the size of Africa. She could barely muster the strength to get up and walk down the stairs.

Everybody looked grave. They would all be getting their spouses today. Everybody, including George and Charlie. These were the people that they were going to be paired up with for the rest of their lives. Everybody had their envelopes in their hand.

Mrs. Weasley looked like she was crying. "Whatever happens today, remember that you will all have a home here."

Charlie went first. As he was reading, his face got paler and paler. He went upstairs a few minutes later, never saying anything. George went after him, opening his and looking quite pleased. An actual smile spread across his face.

"You know, I guess marrying Angelina Johnson wouldn't be too bad!" George said.

"But aren't you already dating her?" Harry asked.

"Exactly!"

Harry shrugged. He looked at his envelope. He decided that he was going to go next. He gulped as he opened it. His face looked really grim as he read the paper. He looked at it for a few moments, and then looked up. "Ginny, open yours." He said. And she looked at him oddly and then she read hers.

She was in his arms less than two seconds later kissing his face. "We get to be together, Harry! Forever! This doesn't scare you, does it?" And they were back to kissing. Harry spun Ginny around ten times. They were a mush of black and red hair. Hermione swore that they were both crying together.

"We're getting married, baby! I always knew we were going to get married. I love you so much!" They went upstairs to 'celebrate'.

And then there were two. "I guess I'll go." Ron shrugged. Hermione could tell he was nervous. His ears were turning pink and he was wiping his hands on his pants. Hermione always knew that Ron was pretty pale, but when she saw the look on his face when he read the paper she thought he was a ghost.

"What does it say, Ron?" she asked. He sat down next to her.

"Well, the person I'm working with isn't my actual 'soul mate' or whatever you call it." Ron said. His ears were still a bright pink color. "I have to work with Pansy Parkinson this year. I think I'm going to puke."

"Ron, it could be worse." Hermione reasoned. "It could have been Millicent Bulstrode. Do you know who your future spouse is?"

Ron actually smiled at Hermione. "Yeah, Gabrielle Delacour. She's a bit younger, but that doesn't really matter. What matters is that I won't be having kids until Gabrielle graduates which isn't for another six years I think. I'm going to have to contact her you know? I'll talk to Bill and Fleur sometime soon. Open yours, Hermione."

Hermione was shaking. She didn't want to. But she had to. The rest of her life was in this piece of paper. The envelope was nice. It was from the ministry, of course.

_Miss Hermione Granger – _

_We are here to inform you that your spouse for the project is your future spouse also. You will have three months to marry upon graduating Hogwarts. _

_Your baby will be made from a potion with DNA from you and your partner. It will show what one of your possible kids will look like. Concerning the rumours, you will not be 'pregnant'. The baby will be sleeping in your house, waiting for you after you give your DNA. _

_Remember that your spouse is your soul mate. We have developed the most advanced technology that allowed us to see the bonds between two souls. There is a zero chance of the ministry being wrong in their calculations, as this magic is always correct. _

_Your spouse is Draco Malfoy._

_We hope that you live a happy future together,_

_The Ministry_

Well, this was an interesting turn of events. She had to deal with this. She could get through it. She had dealt with worse things than this. She was starting to forgive Malfoy and Narcissa. Hermione had acted rashly that day at Andromeda's. It wasn't their fault that Lucius had cursed them for over fifteen years. God, Malfoy missed out on almost his whole life so far. Hermione had spent some time crying for them.

It was like Malfoy saw his life, but someone else acted it out for him. He couldn't control what he said or how he acted. It was awful. Hermione, knowing this, decided that she needed to give both Narcissa and Malfoy a chance.

"Who is it?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"Draco Malfoy." answered Hermione.

Mrs. Weasley let out a small sigh. She couldn't think of anything to say. Neither could Hermione. Like she always did when she was mad lately, Hermione cooked with her mum. It really relieved her stress. Hermione loved how she could make just a few simple ingredients turn into a wonderful meal. She loved food. Her love for food came after the war and she moved in with the Weasley's. Hermione was so underweight when she came home. She loved being with Mrs. Weasley when she was making food. There was so much of it. Hermione gained five pounds the week after she came back.

When everything was simmering and there wasn't a lot left to do,Hermione went upstairs. She was interrupted by Charlie. His eyes were red and swollen, he had obviously been crying. "Can I talk to you, Hermione?" He asked.

Hermione tilted her head, her eyebrows were furrowed. "Is this about the letters?" she asked.

"Yeah." Charlie ushered her into his room. He immediately started crying as soon as Hermione closed the door. He was muttering unintelligible words.

Hermione rubbed his back as he cried. When he calmed down, Hermione decided that it would probably help if she asked him what was going on. "What's up, Charlie?"

"I think I want to kill myself, Hermione. I'm not even kidding." Charlie hiccupped.

"It can't be that bad, Charlie." Hermione said, rubbing his back still. "What's her name? If you don't mind me asking."

"Henry Gale." Charlie stated. And he started sobbing again. "I'm not gay, Hermione! I don't know what to do! They said that there is a zero chance of them being wrong, but they have to be!"

Hermione paled. Not that this was bad, this was just _very _unexpected. "Charlie, I think you need to accept the fact that your soul mate is a man. This doesn't make you any less of a wizard. In fact, one of the most famous wizards of all time was gay."

"Harry is gay?" Charlie questioned.

Hermione started laughing. "No, you silly! Dumbledore was gay!" Hermione had tears in her eyes because she was laughing so hard.

"Dumbledore was gay?!" Charlie nearly screeched. "I would have never thought!"

"Exactly." Hermione smiled. "It won't be so bad! Do you even know who this guy is?"

"He was Bill's year. I guess he's handsome. He was pretty nice to me too." He said. "I don't I can accept this whole gay thing soon, but I think I might be able too. I always thought I was straight. This is just… weird. I can't even grasp my head around this."

"You know, Charlie, have you ever thought you might be bisexual?" Hermione questioned. This was the strangest conversation of her life. She never thought she would ever have this conversation with anyone.

Charlie looked like he wanted to say something. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He tried again. "When I think back, I did have a crush on one guy. I thought it was just a man-crush and I brushed it off, but I realize it wasn't now. Hermione, what am I going to say to my parents? They'll disown me, I know it!"

"Hold up, Charlie! That is completely wrong. Your parents love you. Our parents love us. They are the most accepting family I have ever met! They took me in as their daughter – which is more than I could ever ask for. Don't put yourself down, Charlie. Mum and Dad will be proud of you. I know it."

Charlie rested his head on Hermione's shoulder. "You know, you're a lot better at this sister stuff than Ginny is."

Hermione laughed a little. "It's funny, because I was an only child my whole life. I'm going to go send a letter to my um, whatever you call the person – a spouse I guess?"

"Who were you partnered up with?" Charlie asked, sitting up. "I completely forgot about you! How are you handling the situation?"

"Well, it could be worse. I've been partnered up with Malfoy. I'm going to go send him a letter. He and I have a lot of talking to do."

Hermione walked upstairs. Charlie would be okay. This was definitely not the worst possible outcome of this situation. It was a very interesting outcome, but not the worst. When she got to her room, she immediately sat down to write a letter to Draco.

She didn't know what to write. She incessantly tapped her quill against the paper. She wrote three drafts of just a stupid letter that was literally just asking him to have tea. She finally wrote a letter about an hour later that she was happy with.

_Dear Draco,_

_I guess I should be calling you that now because we're going to be married someday. There is no point in sugar-coating it; we're getting married. _

_I heard about what happened to you. I'm sorry. If you want to talk to someone about it, I guess I'm here. _

_I was actually wondering if we could talk about our circumstances over tea or something tomorrow afternoon, if that works for you. You are welcome here at the Burrow._

_Sincerely, _

_Hermione Granger_

_PS. Teddy is welcome too. _

It wasn't great, but it would do. She gave the letter to the Weasley's new owl, Eugene. Pig had a rather unfortunate accident a few months before. It was tragic, but they were okay. Eugene was a good owl.

Hermione continued reading her book while she was waiting for a reply, but she couldn't concentrate. She eventually fell asleep with her book on her face, which was rather uncomfortable, but she was too lazy to take it off.

She was awoken by a tap on her window. "Eugene!" She cried. "How long have you been there, buddy? Look! We got a letter!" She gave him a biscuit and he was off.

Hermione quickly tore the envelope apart and opened the letter.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I suppose I have to call you Hermione now instead of Granger. That is the truth. You always liked to state things as they were. You haven't changed a bit. _

_Thanks, I guess, for offering to be a person to talk to. I think I might take you up on that. No one really gets me around here. It's great, but there is no one here the same age as me. _

_I actually have to watch Teddy tomorrow. You said he was welcome; would it be an issue if I brought him? He'll probably sleep the whole time, knowing him. _

_Anyways, I'm ranting. _

_Thanks I guess,_

_Draco_

That was strange. She wasn't expecting Draco to be so kind. He seemed quiet. He seemed kind of awkward, actually. No longer was the prat that she knew (but that wasn't really him), but a shy young man. Strange.

Her life was just getting weirder with each passing day. She should probably go downstairs and tell everybody that Draco was coming over tomorrow. How would she tell them? How would everybody react? She didn't really care.

Hermione ran down the stairs (she felt like she was going up and down them a lot lately). Everybody was getting ready for dinner. "I just wanted to say," She started, "that Draco Malfoy is coming over for tea tomorrow. I don't want anyone saying anything to him, especially from you Ron."

"Don't accuse me of anything!" He said.

"I'm not. I'm sorry. I am just so nervous to meet him tomorrow." She sat down at the table and sighed. "What am I going to do? What am I going to wear? Ron, I'm freaking out."

"Hermione, I don't mean to be a twat but there's food on the table and usually Ginny helps you out with that stuff." Ron explained.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the help, Ron." She joked. She dug into her meal and shrugged everything off. She wasn't going to stress. It was dinner time.

After dinner Hermione and Ginny went upstairs to pick an outfit for tomorrow.

"You don't want to look like you're trying too hard, but you don't want to look like a total slob, either." Ginny explained. She held up a sage sundress to Hermione. "I think you should wear this."

Hermione tilted her head and contemplated it. It was really pretty and casual. The dress was fit and flare with a scoop neckline and it went down to her knees. "I think that would look nice. Are you sure it won't look like I'm trying too hard?"

"You'll look beautiful, Hermione! You always look beautiful. I would kill for hair like yours. Just let it do its natural thing and he'll fall for you like that!" Ginny snapped her fingers for exaggeration. She sat down on Hermione's bed. "Trust me, Hermione. He'll love you. You guys are both getting a second chance with life. And he's sexy."

Hermione laughed. "Ginny!"

"It's true! He's really sexy. He must get his hair highlighted because it's literally so perfect and his eyes are so unusual! Blue-grey is a rare color, you know and –"

"Be quiet! I think I've gotten the idea about how attractive Draco is. Harry might think you've got googly-eyes for Draco instead!" Hermione laughed.

"I'm going to bed!" Ginny said. "I'll help you with your makeup tomorrow!" And Ginny was gone.

"Makeup?!" Makeup was a pain in the butt, but Hermione had grown to like it. She was still by no means like Parvati or Lavender, but she enjoyed dressing up occasionally. There was an upcoming ball or charity dinner (Hermione didn't know what to call it) and Hermione was excited. She would probably bring Draco. The ball would be their first public appearance out. The media would have a frenzy if they were seen together. Hermione just wanted to keep everything quiet between her and her family for a while before everything started picking up. Before school started.

Hermione was rather nervous to get the baby. She had often thought of names, but she couldn't pick one out because she didn't know what the last name of the baby would be. She had thought of a few names, but with Draco he'd probably want astronomical names. Some of them weren't bad, she guessed. Hermione knew that the baby would have a hyphenated last name. Granger-Malfoy didn't sound too bad. In fact, it sounded kind of nice. She supposed that when she marries Draco she'll take his last name. Hermione Malfoy didn't sound too bad either. It actually sounded kind of nice.

Hermione didn't want to rile herself up too much which all these plans, so she went to bed and slept nicely for the first time in a while.

* * *

"There! You look perfect, Hermione!" Ginny dabbed a little bit of powder on Hermione's nose. She held up a mirror for Hermione to see.

Hermione had to agree with Ginny, she did look beautiful. Her eyes were enhanced with just a little black eyeliner, and her complexion was flawless with just a little foundation and blusher. She had some lipstick on, and she was lovely. Hermione put on the sage sundress that Ginny suggested, and she looked like a first class lady. She felt like a lady.

"It's perfect, Ginny! You're a genius." Hermione twirled in her dress. She felt stupid doing so, but she looked so pretty.

Thankfully her family decided that they would pretty much clear out the house. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had gone out shopping, and George was at the shop. Ginny said that she would stay in her room the whole time, Harry and Ron went to visit Neville, and Charlie decided to take a spontaneous trip to Egypt.

Just then she heard a knock on the door. Draco was here. Hermione gulped and fluttered downstairs.

There he was. He was holding Teddy like a pro. Teddy was looking up at the Burrow. Draco was looking at the top of the Burrow also, probably wondering how they constructed this beautiful house. Draco looked natural while holding Teddy. Hermione couldn't help but notice Teddy's hair, which was white blonde like Draco's. Draco looked different. Physically, he looked exactly the same. It was the way he held himself that was different. Maybe it was because he was holding a baby, but Hermione knew that Draco was a different man. His eyes looked kinder. He looked almost happy.

Hermione opened the door. "Hello, Draco! Why don't you come in?"

"Thanks, Hermione." He looked so unusual. Hermione took a good look at him. He didn't tilt his head upwards anymore, and his hair wasn't slicked back. He wasn't wearing one of those god awful wizarding suits either. Was he wearing muggle jeans? He was. "Are you staring at me?"

Hermione didn't know what to do. "You are um, just dressed very er, differently."

Draco shrugged. "Stuff happens. People change. Do you want to meet Teddy?"

There it was! A conversation starter. Hermione internally fist pumped. "I would love to! How do I hold him?"

"Well, Teddy can sit up on his own now so you don't have to hold him like a newborn. Just yeah, hold him like that." And Teddy was in Hermione's arms, giggling away. His eyes turned the color of Hermione's. "He likes you!" Draco exclaimed.

"Why hello, Teddy! How are you doing today?" Hermione sounded ridiculous. Her voice suddenly raised about seventeen octaves. She was probably making a fool out of herself. When had she become this insecure? She brushed that aside. Teddy giggled again at her. Wow, he was a happy baby.

"He really likes you. Teddy doesn't usually get along with strangers so well, but he seems to love you." Draco added. He looked so domestic with the diaper bag around his shoulder. Hermione hated to admit it, but he looked sexy.

"Should I play games with him? I really don't know what to do."

"No, it's about his naptime anyways. He'll fall asleep soon." Draco said, checking his watch.

"Do you want to sit? I can make some tea if you want." Hermione asked, motioning towards the kettle with her free hand.

"No, but thanks. I just had lunch." Draco sat down at the kitchen table. "We have a lot of stuff to talk about."

Uh oh, Hermione didn't think she was ready for the serious part of this meeting. She had a lot to talk about with Draco though. Hermione had a lot of questions for him and he probably had a lot of questions for her.

"What do you want to talk about?" Hermione asked, sitting down across from Draco. Teddy was still gurgling happily in her arms.

"Well, first I think we need to talk about the fact that we will be raising a child together in about a month." Draco started. "We need to about names for this baby. He or she will be very much real the nine months that we take care of him or her."

This wasn't the worst thing that they could talk about. "What were you thinking for the baby if it's a girl?"

"Well, at first I was thinking of an astronomical name but I wasn't too sure on how you would like that. I think I want to name her after a flower, if she happens to be a girl. You know me though, no plain names."

"As long as we don't name her Chrysanthemum then I think that would be nice. I was actually thinking of something along the same lines as that." Hermione said. This was freaky. Their minds ran on the same track.

"What about Anemone? Do you like that?" Draco asked. He stared at her blankly. Hermione stared blankly back. She almost wanted to laugh, but he looked pretty serious. "I'm kidding, Granger!"

Draco erupted into a fit of laughs. "You thought I was serious!" He laughed. He was nearly crying now. "That name is horrid!"

Hermione started laughing too. The two of them laughed for a few minutes, and then the reality of the situation kicked in and then the laughs died down pretty quick. She looked down at Teddy, who was sleeping peacefully in her arms. Thank god she didn't wake him up.

"But seriously, Draco, what were you thinking of a name?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Well I thought that Lily was out of the question, considering that's Potter's mum and he might want that name, and Rose is far too plain, maybe for the middle name I guess, and I didn't really like Violet so I did some researching on my own and discovered the name Azalea which I thought was quite nice. I ultimately decided that Azalea Colette sounded nice. What do you think?" Draco ranted.

"I completely agree with you. Azalea Colette sounds wonderful. I honestly thought this was going to be-"

"A lot more difficult?" Draco questioned. "Me too, Hermione. What were you thinking for a boy's name?"

"Hugo. I really like that name, but I don't think Hugo Granger-Malfoy sounds too good." Hermione said.

"So we're hyphenating our names?" asked Draco.

"We are, Draco. If you don't like it then I'm sorry because I want my name to be in there too." Hermione argued.

"No, it's not a problem. I guess I expected you to do that. I don't think Hugo is a great name, Hermione. I'm sorry, but it's actually kind of awful." Draco said. He looked like Hermione was going to yell at him. Was he scared of her? Was he scared that he said the wrong thing?

"The more I think of it, the more of an awful name it is! Thank you for telling me, Draco." Hermione laughed a little, and Draco looked a little relieved. This was going unexpectedly well. Almost too well. Hermione made a mental note to be cautious of what she said around Draco, because he seemed a little on edge. He just seemed nervous in general. Hermione would change that. She didn't want her kids to be raised in a household with parents that didn't trust each other. Hopefully, they could bond and at least become friends by the time they graduated Hogwarts.

Draco spoke up then. "I was thinking Augustus for a boy. Gus for short."

"No, Gus Granger-Malfoy just doesn't sound right."

Hermione and Draco played around with names for over an hour. They laughed at the awful ones, and they came close a few times but none of them sounded right. In that time Hermione had transfigured a leaf into a crib for Teddy to sleep in, and gotten some food for her and Draco. They were actually having a really good time. Hermione could feel a friendship coming about.

"What about Finn? Finn Granger-Malfoy? I don't think a middle name would sound right with that name, but I like it." Hermione suggested.

Draco contemplated it for a few moments. "I think I like it. I swear to God that if we don't have a boy then I might actually fling myself out of the nearest window."

Hermione laughed. "You can't do that! You can't just leave me all alone! What would I do without you?"

"You would be heartbroken and would lie in bed all day yearning for me and my beautiful locks." Draco swished his hair around.

Hermione fell in to a fit of giggles. "I really like this new you. It suits you."

Draco got serious then. "This is how I would have been, if my father hadn't-"

Hermione stopped him then. "Don't, Draco. Don't put yourself down. What's past is past, and we just need to keep on moving forward. It scares me, but we are going to have a future together. I will make sure with all the power within me that you turn out alright, which I know will happen because I always make sure that my friends are okay. I don't know if you consider me a friend, but in these two hours you have become my friend."

"You consider me a friend?" Draco asked. "I only have two friends outside of here. I don't even know if I can consider them friends, Hermione. You're just so _genuine. _Thank you."

Hermione decided then that she didn't like mushy Draco. Draco was obviously a broken creature, and her job was to nurse him back to health. Talking about it would help, even if Draco was very emotional.

"What was it like, being under the curse for long?" Hermione asked.

"I could think and everything, but I couldn't control my body. I did some horrible things, Hermione. Some people will never forgive me for what I did, and I don't think I could ever forgive myself for what I did." Draco started tearing up.

Hermione got up and sat down next to him. "Draco, it wasn't you. It's not your fault. Look at you now! You're a pretty amazing person I would say. If you were a bad person, would you be here right now? I don't think so."

"But I can't stop blaming myself! Why couldn't I have fought? I tried, Hermione. I did. Why wasn't I strong enough? I should have been strong enough. Do you remember during the battle, when my father called me to join him? That was me fighting him. All of sixth year I lost so much weight, because I was fighting him. I wasn't strong enough, and I will blame myself forever."

Draco was crying now.

Hermione rubbed his back. "It's okay, Draco. You'll be okay. I know it. Draco, you were strong enough to resist the curse even if just for a little bit. You fought, and that is unbelievable. I am sure your mother is unbelievably proud of you."

"She was." Draco smiled. "She's proud of the person I have become now. Have you seen her, Hermione? She's so healthy now. I'm so lucky to have her."

Obviously Draco was a mother's boy by the way he talked about her. Hermione thought it was pretty cute. Hermione thought Draco was cute in general. She liked his hair. She liked his nose. Nope, this wasn't a crush. Hermione brushed it off.

"It's obvious that you really love her, Draco. That's really sweet." Hermione soothed. Draco had calmed down by now. "Harry has a lot of respect for her."

"I think Potter isn't such a bad person, you know." Draco said. "I still think his ego is the size of Jupiter, but whatever."

There was still some Draco Malfoy in him. Hermione liked it. Hermione could tell that he still had a little bit of pride in there, and she was going to bring that out. She was going to build up his confidence so he could see himself for what he truly was; an inspiration. But for now, he was just Draco, a boy who was broken.

Hermione laughed. "Harry is an amazing person; I think that you guys are actually a lot alike. I see you guys being friends in the future."

"Really?" Draco questioned, his voice rising a little bit. "I'm trying to picture it. Nope I can't see it."

"Come on, Harry isn't that bad! I'm not too sure if you and Ron would get along."

"Nope. I don't see it." Draco stood up then. "I think I better be going. I'm going out to dinner with my mum tonight. Maybe, before the summer is over, you could join us?"

"I think I would like that." Hermione smiled.

Hermione got Teddy while Draco grabbed the diaper bag. Hermione still thought that he looked funny with a diaper bag.

"What? It's very fashionable." Draco joked.

"You look great, Malfoy."

"I know, Granger. See you later!" Draco said.

Yes, he was definitely on the mend. As soon as Draco closed the door Ginny was bounding down the stairs.

"How did it go? Is he still hot? I know that you put a charm on my room so that I couldn't hear anything. Thanks, Hermione. But seriously, how did it go?"

"It was great! Draco is definitely broken, but he's not repairable. He still carries some trademark Malfoy qualities, but they're barely there. I don't really want to talk about it. The stuff we talked about is kind of personal. But we did come up with names for the baby!"

"What's the baby's name?" Ginny questioned. Ginny looked like she was about to explode. This girl was way too nosy. That was Ginny though, and Hermione had accepted it a long time ago.

Oh, how Hermione liked stirring Ginny up. "I'm not telling you!" Hermione said in a sing song voice.

"You suck, Hermione Granger!"

**A/N: Well there we have it! Chapter 3 is done! I hope you guys saw how conflicted Draco is. How he goes from one personality to the next. His egotistical self is comfortable for him, it's how he acted for fifteen years. His quieter self though reminds him of the harsh reality of what happened.**

**Oh! And what did you guys think of my plot twist with Charlie? I really wanted to stir some stuff up. **

**I won't be updating for a week or so, just to prepare you guys! Thanks again. **


	4. Chapter 4

This was it. This was the day Hermione was going back to Hogwarts. Everybody was currently jammed in the little car as they rode to King's Cross. Hermione was nervous. In fact, she was freaking out a little. Tomorrow she would meet her "son" or "daughter". Hermione kind of hoped for a girl. Boys were just messy and icky and honestly she didn't feel like dealing with that.

She had only seen Draco one more time during the summer. Hermione went to his house and he taught her how to change, feed, and basically how to take care of a baby. Teddy was more than happy to be held by Hermione; he simply adored her. Draco said that she was a natural with kids, but Hermione felt like she was going to puke every time she held Teddy. That was a bit of an exaggeration, but Hermione did not know how to take care of kids.

Ron had talked to Pansy a few times via letters. They seemed to be on pretty good terms. Pansy was still slightly arrogant, but Ron had dealt with worse.

Hermione was freaking out now. How could she take care of a kid and manage schoolwork? Where was she going to take care of this baby? Hermione didn't know anything. The Ministry was keeping this project very top secret. Harry obviously saw that Hermione was nervous and rubbed her back a little, but it didn't really help much.

She was calm by the time they got to King's Cross. Everything was moving so fast. She didn't even realize that she said goodbye to her surrogate family until she was on the train and it was far away. Harry, Ron, Ginny and she sat in a compartment to themselves. They weren't talking much. Mostly sleeping. Hermione suddenly felt claustrophobic and went through the cabins. They were surprisingly quiet. Hermione wanted to find Draco. They were sort of friends now. Friends was a very loose term but they were working on that.

Hermione was still grasping her head around the fact that she and Draco were soul mates. She didn't think that that was ever possible, but apparently it was. If she and Draco were soul mates, then Hermione guessed that they would probably love each other someday. She stayed up a lot of nights thinking about this. She and Draco would be in love someday. They were soul mates, after all. Maybe the baby would push things along.

Hermione finally found Draco sitting in a compartment all by himself. He looked up from the book he was reading.

"What are you doing, Draco? You should have come found me!" Hermione exclaimed. She sat down next to him.

"I'm fine, Hermione! I just wanted some quiet time before everything gets crazy." Draco said. He put his book down. "Stay, though! We have a lot to discuss before we meet our baby."

"It sounds so weird," Hermione laughed. She brushed her golden curls over her shoulder. "Meeting our baby sounds really ridiculous."

"I know! What are you hoping for?" Draco asked.

"Well, I would say as long as the baby is healthy that I don't care, but I know that the baby will be healthy so I'm hoping for a girl." Hermione said.

"I want a girl too." Draco commented. "There are so many boys in the Malfoy family. It's time we got a girl."

The conversation went silent. It was comfortable and they enjoyed the silence together. Draco read his book and Hermione fell asleep. She dreamt of being happy with Draco with their children. Hermione would be a mum in less than fifteen hours at this point.

* * *

Wow, Hermione's head was against something really comfortable. She didn't want to get up. All she smelled was an exotic wood and clean fabric. It was delicious. The shoulder she was resting upon was heavenly. She was sleeping on Draco's shoulder. She looked up. This was going to be embarrassing. _Oh, _he was sleeping against her too. Hermione didn't want to wake him up, so she went back to sleep.

The next time Hermione woke Draco was awake reading his book again. "Did you enjoy your sleep?" He asked with a smile on his face.

Hermione blushed. This was really awkward. She really didn't like situations like this. Not that she ever found herself in situations like this. "It was nice. Um, thank you for letting me use your shoulder a pillow."

"No problem, Granger." He teased and he closed his book. "We should be getting there soon, so we should probably get in our robes."

They did just that, each going to the bathrooms and they met up ten minutes later. Hermione couldn't help but notice that people were staring at her and Draco. They probably didn't realize that they were together because of the law. That stupid law. Hermione didn't dwell on it and she brushed everything off and focused on what was important. When they were sitting together again Hermione couldn't help it. She couldn't she was a curious person. She just had to ask him.

"What do you think of me, Draco?" Hermione couldn't believe she just said that. It was a small question, really, but it made her nervous. A little part of her still feared that he would call her a mudblood and spit at her, but she knew that he wouldn't. She knew that he was different now.

"I think you're a very caring person, Hermione. Why do you ask?" Draco said. He knew of that little insecure part of her. Sometimes, she would say things and then brush them off like she never said them. It hurt Draco a bit, because he wasn't like that. _He _was never like that. "You know I would never say anything to you like that."

Draco's large arms wrapped themselves around Hermione's tiny little waist. He rested his chin on the top of her head. Hermione was short. Hermione leaned into the hug instinctively and wrapped her tiny arms around Draco. The moment was over quick enough and they both pretended that Hermione never asked that question or that Draco never pulled Hermione into a hug.

When the train stopped Draco was a perfect gentleman and helped Hermione out of the train. Everybody was gathered around the Thestrals. Hermione wanted to cry. Almost everybody there could see them. It was heartbreaking to watch as the kids realized why they could see them. They all had each other though as they rode to Hogwarts.

Hermione was really nervous to see Hogwarts. She knew that Hogwarts had needed major repairs and she hoped that the people did a good job. From what she could see, the towers were standing tall and beautiful again. The ride was fairly quick. She hadn't caught up with Harry, Ron or Ginny so she went with Draco, who was sitting across from her.

Draco helped Hermione out of the carriage. He was seriously a perfect gentleman. He was way too quiet. Hermione promised herself that she would socialize more for Draco's sake. He didn't really have anybody. Hermione cried as she looked up at Hogwarts. It was beautiful and perfect. It looked just as it had been. Nothing looked different. The towers were tall and sturdy and everything shined bright as if Hogwarts was a person and she was welcoming her children back home.

Hermione felt silly for crying. She looked around and other people were too. She felt a large hand grasp hers and she looked up and Draco was smiling at her. "We do everything together, Hermione. I'm not just going to let you cry all by yourself."

"Thank you, Draco. For everything."

The sorting ceremony was somewhat dull. It was very different. Professor McGHowever, there was an unusually high amount of first years. The older students were too preoccupied in talking to each other after not seeing each other for months. Everybody seemed just a little closer. All of the houses seemed to be friendlier towards each other. The Slytherin population was almost diminished. Thankfully the few Slytherins that were there wanted to talk to everybody. Hermione couldn't even name a few of them.

Soon enough the feast ended and all the seventh and eighth years were asked to stay back. Hermione looked over to Draco and he got up and sat down next to her. All eyes followed him as he walked over.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and the Great Hall was silent. "I think everybody is aware of the circumstances for this year. I was unable to exempt students from this Marriage Law, but I was able to postpone it." She got up then and started walking to the entrance of the Great Hall. "If you would follow me I will take you to your living quarters."

Everybody looked at each other in confusion as they got up and followed Professor. Draco was with Hermione, his hand resting in the small of her back. "Do you have any idea where we're going?" Draco whispered.

Hermione craned her head up to look at him. "No idea." She whispered back. "We aren't going to the Gryffindor common rooms, I know that."

Professor McGonagall gave a stern look at her and Draco. "I know this is hard for all of you, but you will have to deal with it. Hogwarts didn't have the space for everybody and their children, so during the renovations we put an addition on in the back. We wanted to stimulate a real life almost. The addition looks almost like a tiny town. We had more than enough land. There are three neighborhoods. There is one lower class, one middle class, and one upper class neighborhood. If you and your partner have excellent grades, expect to be in the upper class. If not, then expect to be in the middle or lower class. You will receive money throughout the school year, which is almost like a pay check of sorts. If you get higher marks, then expect a bigger pay check. Every household will have bills to pay and a lawn to maintain. It is very much like real life. There are also many stores throughout the town in which you can buy groceries, clothes, furniture and other items. Your houses are already furnished. Families will be allowed to dine in the Great Hall, but are required to have one meal a day in their homes. I will be giving each family an envelope. It has money and the required paper work to start everybody off. If you would step forward when I call your name I will give you the envelope and you will be allowed to go to your houses."

Hermione and Draco stopped paying attention after the first few names were called. Behind those doors was a town. Hermione wondered what it looked like. She knew that she and Draco had good grades, so she supposed that they would be in the upper class. However, she didn't go to school last year and neither did Draco so who knows where they would be.

"Would the Malfoy household please come forward!" Professor McGonagall stated. Hermione walked forward and Draco trailed behind her. Professor handed the enveloped to her and smiled. "Good luck."

Hermione forced a smiled back. Draco opened the doors and _holy shit._ This wasn't just a few houses put together. This was an actually town. It was down the hill so Hermione could see all parts of the town. She could see the center of the town, which was a park. Surrounding it were probably all the shops that Professor McGonagall talked about.

"Shall we head down?" Draco asked, holding his hand out.

Hermione took a deep breath and took his hand. "Let's do it."

Together they walked down the hill. Hermione decided it would probably be a good idea to open up the envelope and see if it had information on their house. She hated to let go of Draco's hand but she had to. His hand fit perfectly in hers. It provided warmth and comfort and a sense of security.

There were some random papers in there. The baby's birth certificate which was filled out except for the name, gender, and the parents signatures, a blue print of the house, some cash (a lot of cash), and then Hermione finally found the paper with the address on it. There were still some more to look through but Hermione would look through those later.

"It says that we live on 16 Merlin Lane, which is right off of Granger Corner. Really? Why did they have to do that?" Hermione sighed and looked at the street names. "Granger Corner is just down this way."

Draco followed Hermione. Draco always followed Hermione. She didn't know why, but he trailed around her like a lost puppy. She had to admit it was kind of cute watching him get confused. She had to teach him how to be independent though. Every time Hermione saw him he looked a little better, a little healthier, and a little happier. They walked down together and their fingers were laced once more.

Granger Corner appeared to be an upper class neighborhood. They walked down the street together and saw a few houses; she didn't recognize a lot of the names that were on these houses. The houses were large. Most of them were colonial houses. It was a very Americanized neighborhood. Well, it looked American to Hermione. They finally reached the end of the street and turned right. This was Merlin Lane. The houses were even larger now. _Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen! _They reached a large brick colonial house at the end of the cul de sac.

This was Hermione's dream house. The large brick colonial house had a large porch and black shutters and a garage and_ everything _Hermione ever wanted. Hermione rummaged through the envelope and found the key.

"I guess this is where we go inside." Draco said. He took the key from her gently and unlocked the door.

Hermione walked in the house and gasped. It was so beautiful. She guessed all that hard work paid off. "This is amazing!" She exclaimed. The floor plan was very open. She could see the large kitchen from the front of the house. The walls were light olive green, and the cabinets were white and the counters were granite. The tile looked Moroccan. Hermione loved it. The best part about it was that everything didn't match, but it all matched at the same time. It reminded her of the Burrow. It even smelt like the Burrow. To the left of the kitchen was the table, which was white. The home was traditional but almost bohemian. It was very clean and neat and Hermione loved it.

Hermione remembered the baby. This was real. This was happening. Hermione didn't want the baby. She was far too young for this. Would the baby be upstairs? She guessed so. She had to send in a lock of her hair about a month ago so the potions makers could make him or her. Maybe if she avoided going upstairs then she wouldn't have to deal with the baby.

Hermione continued surveying the house. The stairs were next to the kitchen, and next to the stairs was a door. When she looked there it was a garage which had two very expensive looking cars. She wouldn't need them; the town was very small anyways. Beyond the kitchen table was the living room, which had brown and blue accents. The couch was huge and on the wall was a flat screen television. Hermione didn't understand why they had electronics because they wouldn't work but she went with the flow and didn't worry about it.

There was a study off of the living room. Hermione didn't know what to call it actually. It was more of a library. There had to be thousands of books in here. The walls were red. It felt like the Gryffindor common room. There were stairs in the library, and when she went up them there were even more books. Hermione would spend a lot of time in here. It was so beautiful and felt like home. The whole house did. Draco had wandered off and was probably exploring on his own. When she went back downstairs to the kitchen where there was a room behind it. _How many rooms did this house have?_

Draco was there, staring at a magnificent grand piano. It was beautiful. Hermione could tell that it was very old. It had so much detail in it. Who would use it though? Did Draco play?

"Do you play, Draco?" Hermione asked.

"I do." Draco looked like he was about to cry. "I did, I mean. When I was younger I played, and then father forbade me to play it anymore. I would sneak back at night and play, but when everything started happening I couldn't sneak back anymore. And then I moved out and I couldn't get my hands on a piano andhow did they know? How did they? How did these people know that I play the piano?"

Hermione put a hand on Draco's shoulder. "This is a magical house. I think it decorates itself to look like exactly how we want it to be. It is almost like the Room of Requirement."

"It's amazing." Draco murmured. "We have to meet our kid."

"I know," Hermione said. "But I don't want to."

"Why don't we explore the upstairs and then we will meet her?" Draco suggested. He laced his fingers with hers and started walking towards the stairs.

They walked together and discovered that there was an above the garage, which was like another living room. It had a computer too. They continued on their journey to find their kid and looked in all the bedrooms. There had to be ten bedrooms in the house! They were all decorated the same except with a different color scheme. They were probably guest rooms.

Hermione was glad that they wouldn't have to sleep in the same bed. She wasn't ready for that. Not yet. She and Draco weren't even close! They were barely friends. They were friends that held each other's hand a lot. She hoped that she wouldn't have nightmares, but she probably would. Hermione would have to put a charm on her room.

Hermione obviously knew this was her room. It was green and it was so beautiful. It was very bohemian. Nothing matched but it all worked together in a beautiful chaos. The walls were green, which had grown to be her favorite color. The frame of the bed was white and full sized and the comforter was a mix of colors, but was primarily teal. It was so beautiful. Draco was across the hall looking at his room, which was green also. She could see that everything was sleek and masculine just like him. Hermione walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder. He turned around.

"We should probably go meet our baby." Draco said. He started to look nervous.

"We probably should." Hermione replied.

They looked to the last door at the end of the hallway. This had to be the baby's room.

"Let's go meet our child." Draco said.

Together, they opened the door.


End file.
